And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce one chapter ( surah ) the like thereof ( comparable to it ) and call upon your witnesses (supporters and helpers) other than God ( Allah ) , if you are truthful.
But if you do it not, and you can never do it, then fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers. .

The Miraculous Diction and Style of the Qur’an

There are innumerable aspects of the Qur’anic revelation that explicitly or implicitly bring out the miraculous character of the Qur’an. I will confine myself to the description of only twelve such aspects out of many. I will not speak of qualities like its full consciousness of every aspect of a subject when speaking on a particular theme and the moderation and considerateness of its speech. Whether the passage concerned is one of hope or of threat, of reward or of punishment, its speech is always balanced and never over-emotive. This quality is not found in human speech as human expression is always affected by the state of mind of the speaker. When he is unhappy, he shows it in his speech, not showing concern for others who might deserve praise or kindness. Talking of one thing, he does not think and speak of its opposite. For instance when describing the creation, he does not speak of the Hereafter. When he is angry, he often shows it without measuring the amount of anger that is appropriate.

First Divine Quality: The Eloquence of the Qur’an
Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.

The Holy Qur’an maintains throughout the highest possible standard of rhetoric in its speech, to the extent that it is literally impossible to find its parallel in human works. The rules of rhetoric demand that the words chosen for expression should be so exact in conveying the message that they should not express too much or too little for the occasion. The more a description embodies this quality, and the more appropriate the words are to the situation, the more eloquent it is said to be. The Holy Qur’an fulfills all the requirements of rhetoric to the highest standard. We give some examples to prove our claim.

First Argument

Human eloquence, whether from Arabs or non-Arabs, usually concerns the physical phenomena that are closely associated with those people. For instance, the Arabs are considered to be great orators and eloquent in the description of camels, horses, swords and women. Poets, linguists and other writers acquire dexterity and proficiency in some particular field simply because poets and writers of all times have been writing and adding subtleties to the subject, providing food for thought for subsequent writers to open new avenues in it.

However, the Holy Qur’an does not fit this pattern, owing nothing to precedent and being replete with astonishing and unparalleled examples of eloquence that were unanimously acknowledged by all the Arabs.

Second Argument

It is our usual experience that when poets and writers of literature try to adorn their language with eloquent expressions they do not remain truthful. Any one trying to be absolutely true in conveying his message can do so only at the cost of eloquence. It is therefore said that untruth is a main element of a good poetry. The famous poets Labid ibn Rabi’ah and Hassan ibn Thabit could not maintain the high standard of their poetry after embracing Islam. Their pre-Islamic poetry is more forceful and elegant than their post-Islamic compositions. The Holy Qur’an presents miraculous examples of eloquence in spite of being absolutely true in all it says.

Third Argument

Good poetry is considered elegant and beautiful because some of its verses are of a high standard of eloquence. Each and every verse of that poetry is rarely all of the same standard. The Holy Qur’an, however, from beginning to end, is such an example of unabated beauty, elegance and eloquence that human beings of all times have been unable to produce even a small piece of equal standard. Take for example the Surah Yusuf, every word of which is a perfect specimen of beauty and eloquence.

Fourth Argument

Any writer or poet, when he relates the same event more than once, does not manage in the repeated account to be as elegant and beautiful as he was the first time. The Holy Qur’an repeats versions of the same event, and of descriptions of the creation and the end of the world, and of the injunctions and the attributes of God. Each description is different in style and in size, but every one is of so high a standard that one cannot be preferred to another.

Fifth Argument

The Qur’an talks of many things like obligatory rituals, legal pro- hibitions, instigation to virtue, repudiation of worldly desires, and preparation for the Hereafter and other similar themes. The description of these things does not lend itself to elegance and beauty and any poet trying to compose poetry on practical injunctions of this kind would be hard put to produce a passage of literary merit. The Holy Qur’an deals with all these subjects with a high standard of eloquence.

Sixth Argument

The eloquence of every poet is confined to a particular subject and when the same poet speaks on other subjects his beauty of expression and his proficiency is distinctly circumscribed. Imru’l-Qais, the famous Arab poet, is known for his description of wine, women and horses. No other poet is as eloquent on this subject. Nabigha is known for his description of fear and awful events, Zuhayr for hope and so on.

The Holy Qur’an, on the other hand, talks on all kinds of subjects with great force of eloquence, beauty and elegance, and is found to be miraculously eloquent in each description.

Seventh Argument

Diversion from one subject to another which in turn has many branches usually makes it impossible for an author to maintain flow and continuity with the same grandeur and majesty and his language usually loses its height of eloquence. The Holy Qur’an is full of such diversions, frequently jumping from one event to another, but miraculously it maintains the same flow and continuity with all the other subjects under discussion.

Eighth Argument

Another distinct feature of the Qur’anic diction is that it encloses a vast range of meaning in a surprisingly small number of words without losing its charm and majesty in the least. Surah Sad’s opening verses are a good example of this. The Holy Qur’an here describes a large number of subjects in very few verses, including a description of the unbelievers of Makka, their rejection of the Holy Prophet, admonitions to them with reference to historical events of previous people, their distrust and astonishment at the revelation of the Qur’an, a description of their envious nature, threats and instigations, the teaching of patience and a description of events related to the Prophets David, Solomon, Job, Abraham and Jacob. All these diverse subjects been dealt with a force and eloquence that is unique to the Qur’an.

Ninth Argument

Majesty and sweetness, elegance and beauty are counteracting qualities that are rarely found together in a single work. These two opposite qualities are seen divinely combined together throughout the Qur’an in a way unknown to human genius. This again is a strong argument for the miraculous eloquence of the Qur’anic diction, which is absolutely absent from human writings.

Tenth Argument

The language of the Qur’an contains all possible kinds of eloquence, metaphor, similes, comparisons, transitions, inversions etc., but at the same time it is free of any hint of verbiage like false exaggeration, hyperbolical statements and all other defects of falsehood and of the use of strange words etc. Human writing does not usually combine all the aspects of eloquence in one work. People have tried in vain to accommodate all these qualities. The Holy Qur’an, however, does so superlatively.

These ten arguments are enough to prove the claim that Qur’anic language and its intonation are so sublime that they cannot be measured by human genius. The more one is acquainted with the Arabic language, the more he will find the words of the Qur’an burning into his heart, and its thought breathing into his soul.

A - Expression: the eloquence of the Qur'an's expression has two aspects: purity of language and impressiveness.

B - Meaning: the eloquence of the Qur'an as regards meaning is obvious in three aspects:

1. The meaning is clear from the word itself.
2. The meaning conforms to the word, it is neither more than it to cause disorder in the word nor less than it to cause disorder in meaning. That is obvious in the Arabs' saying: "The killing stops killing" and what the Almighty Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala, says:

"And there is [a saving of] life for you in Qisas [the law of Equality in punishment of murder]..." [Qur'an 2:179]
3. Saying many concepts in a few words.

C - The composition: The good composition of the Qur'an is obvious in the following:

1. The Qur'anic speech is harmonious.
2. The measure is balanced and not inconsistent.
3. If a word is taken from its place, and the whole Arabic language is searched for a better substitute, it will not be found.
The Almighty Allah says:
"[This is] a Book, the Verses whereof are perfected [in every sphere of knowledge], and then explained in detail from one [Allah] Who is All-Wise All-Acquainted [with all things]." [Qur'an 11:1]

D - The artistic imagery:

This is a new aspect of the Qur'an's miraculous eloquence revealed by Sayyid Qutb who studied the general principles of the artistic and esthetical qualities of the Qur'an materialized in imagery that he considered the preferred instrument in the style of the Qur'an, and the first rule of its eloquence. It expresses in an imaginary image the mental meaning, the psychological state, the tangible incident, the visible spectacle, the human model and man's nature. Then that image is promoted and given life or renewable movement, thus the mental meaning becomes a movement, the psychological state becomes a spectacle, the human modem becomes a living person and man's nature becomes visible. The listener forgets that he listens to a recital and imagines himself in front of a spectacle that is presented or an incident taking place in front of one's eyes.

The miraculous aspect of artistic imagery in the Qur'an is that its instrument is the inanimate word and not the expressive persons, the colours or the accompanying music.

For further readings:
The Qur'an can only be described as the 'peak of eloquence'. It selects the perfect words in the most apt arrangements to achieve the intended communicative goal. When the Qur'an is compared to any other Arabic text, past or present, it transcends the choices made by human authors; including words, pronouns, sounds, rhythms and particles.

The second quality of the Qur’an that makes it a living miracle is its unique structure and internal arrangement, and, above all, the sub- limity of its thought and contents. The accumulation of all the linguistic perfections in the Holy Qur’an has been a permanent source of astonishment to the great writers, philosophers and the linguists of the world. This acknowledged supremity of the Qur’an saves it from any accusation of being no more than a collection of thoughts and ideas borrowed from others and serves the purpose of making it so prominent and so distinct from ordinary human writings that the Qur’an by itself is enough argument to prove its divine provenance and its being a living miracle of the Holy Prophet.

The Arabs were arrogant regarding their command over the Arabic language and harboured initially great enmity against the Prophet and his teachings. The perfection of the Qur’anic eloquence did not allow them to find any imperfection in it. On the contrary, they were forced to admit that the language of Qur’an was comparable neither with the poetry of the poets nor the oratory of the orators. They were astonished at its matchless eloquence. Sometimes they declared it to be magic and sometimes they said that it was something that had been taken from a previous people. They often tried to stop people hearing it by making a noise when the Prophet recited it. They found themselves helpless against the inexpressible attraction of the Qur’anic language.

It is unimaginable that the Arabs who were known to be the masters of the Arabic language would not have met the simple challenge of the Qur’an to produce the like of its smaIlest surah[9], rather than wage war against the Prophet of Islam and lose the best of their heroes in the fighting as well as sacrificing much of their property and possessions, if they had been able to do so. They heard this Qur’anic challenge many times through the prophet. He cried aloud in their face:

Bring then a surah like unto it, and call (to your aid) any one you can, beside God, if it be ye speak the truth. [10]

The Qur’an repeats this challenge in another surah in these words:

And if ye are in doubt, as to what we have revealed to our servant, then produce a surah, like there unto; and call your witnesses and helpers (to your aid) besides God, if you are true. But if ye cannot, and of surety ye cannot, then fear the fire, whose fuel is men and stones. [11]

Again this challenge was thrown at them with full force:

Say, if the whole of mankind and jinn were together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they would not be able to produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other.[12]

The fact that they preferred to fight wars against him and sacrifice their lives is enough to prove that they acknowledged the miraculous eloquence of the Qur’an and it found impossible to produce any passage comparable to the Qur’an.

There is a report that Walid ibn Mughirah, the nephew of Abu Jahl, burst into tears when he heard the Qur’an recited. Abu Jahl came to him and admonished him. He replied:

I swear by God, none of you is as conversant and acquainted with poetry as I am and I declare that the words of Muhammad have nothing to do with poetry. [13]

History has recorded that once at the time of Hajj the same Walid gathered together the dignitaries of the tribe of Quraysh of Makka and suggested that they should agree on what to say to the pilgrims if they enquired about Muhammad. Some of them said, “We could say that he is a soothsayer.” Walid said, “By God, he is not, as is evident from his speech.” Others suggested that he should be called insane. Walid swore by God that he had no trace of insanity. They suggested that he should be called a poet. Walid again rejected the suggestion saying that they were all fully conversant with poetic speech and he would never be accepted as a poet. The Quraysh then said, “We shall tell them that he is a sorcerer.” Walid said that they knew that he could not be a sorcerer because his speech was far from sorcery and that the only thing that could be said about him was that the magic of his speech had separated sons from their fathers, brothers from brothers and wives from their husbands. After this meeting they posted themselves on the roads of Makka and prevented the pilgrims from listening to the Holy Prophet.

It is also reported that ’Utbah[14] came to the Holy Prophet and discussed with him the opposition of the Quraysh with regard to theHolyQur’an. The Holy Prophet recited the opening verses of Surah 41. He had recited only thirteen verses when ’Utbah, overcome, requested the Prophet not to recite any more of it and hid his face with his two hands.

Another report has said that as the Holy Prophet recited the Qur’anic verses to ’Utbah, he felt so restless that could not sit straight and leant back on his hands until the Holy Prophet recited a verse of prostration and prostrated before Allah. ’Utbah returned to his house in a state of emotional excitement, hid himself from the people until some Quraysh went to him. ’Utbah said to them, ”By God! Muhammad recited verses the like of which I never heard in my life. I was completely lost and could not answer him anything.”

According to a report, the Companion of the Prophct, Abu Dharr, said that he had not seen a poet greater than his brother Anis who had defeated twelve poets in a contest in pre-Islamic days. Once, when he returned from Makka, they asked him the opinion of the Makkans concerning the Holy Prophet. He said that they accused him of being a poet, a soothsayer, and a sorcerer. Then he said that he was fully conversant with the speech of soothsayers and sorcerers and found the words of the Prophet in no way comparable to them. He was neither a poet nor a sorcerer and soothsayer for all of them were liars whereas his words were the truth.

We find in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that Jabir ibn Mut’im[15] reported that he heard the Holy Prophet reciting Surah al- Tur in his prayer of Maghrib (just after sunset). When he recited this verse:

Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the Creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth, Nay, they have no belief. Or are the treasures of thy Lord with them, Or are they the managers (of affairs)?

This passage from Sura Al-Fath (the Victory), from which this passage is quoted, was revealed before the treaty of Hudaibiyah in the sixth year of Hijrah. In it the Muslims are promised by Allah that they will soon enter the Sacred Mosque of Makka victoriously. Under the prevailing circumstances this was unimaginable. The Muslims captured Makka in the 8th year of Hijrah and entered the Sacred Mosque together with the Holy Prophet exactly as was predicted by the Qur’an, some having shaved their heads and some having cut short their hair.

Second Prediction

The Holy Qur’an says: Allah has promised to those among you who believe, and do good deeds, that He will surely grant them in the land inheritance of power as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion which He has chosen for them. And that He will change (their state) after fear to one of security and peace. They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me.

This Qur’anic verse promises that the Muslims will be made the true viceregents of God and that Allah will grant them and their faith strength and power. The state of fear in which they were would be changed to peace and security. This Qur’anic prediction foretelling Muslim domination did not take long to prove its accuracy.

Let us see how, in surprisingly a short period, this Qur’anic pre- diction and divine promise was fulfilled.

The whole of Arabian peninsula was brought under the Holy Prophet’s domination in his own life and some of the people of Hijr and some rulers of Syria agreed to pay jizyah (a minority tax) to the Holy Prophet.

In the time of the first caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr, the boundaries of Islamic domination were greatly widened. The Muslims captured some cities of Persia, and some of the cities of Syria such as Bosra and Damascus.

Then came the second Caliph, ’Umar, who changed history by his faith in the truth of Islam, defeating the world powers of that time. He conquered the whole of the ancient Persian empire and a large part of the Eastern Roman Empire.

In the time of the third Caliph, ’Uthman, the Islamic domination was further expanded. Islamic forces conquered Spain in the West, and part of China in the East. It took only 20 years for the Muslims to have complete control of all these countries which constituted the majority of the known world, thus abundantly fulfilling the Qur’anic prediction. Islam dominated over all other religions of the world and was the major world power of that time.

Third Prediction

The Holy Qur’an declares: It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance, and the religion of truth, to make it triumphant over all religions.

We have discussed under the second prediction that Islam, the religion of truth, triumphed over the other religions of the world and the perfection of this domination of Islam over the world will be witnessed by the world in the future.[19]

Allah was well pleased with the believers when they swore fealty to you under the tree. He knew what was in their hearts. So He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with a victory (very) near. And many gains (spoils) that they would take. And mighty is Allah and Wise.

Allah has promised you rich booty which you will take.

And He has given you these beforehand, and He has restrained the hands of men from you, so that it may be a sign for the believers and that He may guide you to a straight path. And other gains which are not in your power. And Allah has encompassed: and Allah has power over all things.

The victory promised in this verse is the conquest of Khaybar and the ’many gains’ promised are the spoils and booty of Khaybar and Hijr; similarly the promise of ”other gains” are the booties and spoils to be taken from the conquest of Persia and Rome. All the promises and predictions made in this verse came true exactly as they were foretold.

Fifth Prediction

The Qur’an says: And other blessings which you desire: help from Allah, and a near victory.

The promise of near victory contained in this verse is, according to some, the conquest of Makka and, according to others, the conquest of Persia and Rome. The prediction, however, is true whatever the case since Makka, Persia and Rome were all conquered.

Sixth Prediction

The Holy Qur’an says:When comes the help of Allah and viictory, and you see people enter Allah’s religion in multitudes.

In this verse the promised victory is the victory of Makka. Correct reports place its revelation prior to the conquest of Makka. Besides ’idha’ (when) in Arabic is used for future tense and not for the past tense. Groups of people from Ta’if and Makka came in multitudes to embrace Islam as was predicted by the Holy Qur’an.

Seventh Prediction:

We find in the Holy Qur’an: Say to those who deny faith, soon you will be vanquished.

This came about exactly as warned by the Holy Qur’an. The unbelievers were all dominated.

Eighth Prediction

The Holy Qur’an says: (Remember) When Allah promised you one of the two (enemy) parties, that it should be yours, you wished that the one unarmed should be yours, but Allah wanted to establish the truth by his word, and to cut off the roots of the unbelievers.

This is a reference to the battle of Badr and the two parties referred to in this verse are the trade caravan that was returning from Syria and the other that had come from Makka, and the unarmed party was the trade caravan back from Syria. This also happened exactly as was predicted.

Ninth Prediction

The Holy Qur’an says to the Prophet: We are enough to sustain you against those who mock.

When the above verse was revealed to the Prophet, he told his Companions that Allah would protect them against the ill intentions of the idolaters of Makka who were always persecuting him and his Companions. Allah fulfilled this promise.

The Roman Empire has been defeated, in a land close by; but they, (even) after this defeat, will gain victory in a few years. Allah’s is the command, in the past and in the future. On that day shall the believers rejoice, with the help of Allah,.He helps whom He wills. And He is Mighty and the most merciful. (It is) the promise of Allah. Allah never departs from His promise: but most men understand not. They crave for the outer (things in the) life of this world, but of the Hereafter they are heedless.

This surah was revealed in Makka when Persia defeated the Romans. The Persians were Magians by faith while the the Romans were Christians. The idolaters of Makka were pleased with this news and argued with the Muslims that they and the Christians claimed to be the People of the Book while the Magians and Makkans were without the Book. As the Christians of the Roman Empire were defeated by the Persians, the Muslims would, likewise, be defeated by the Makkans. The Holy Qur’an, itself, refuted’ their assumption in the above verse and predicted the victory of the Romans.

Abu Bakr Siddiq, the devoted friend and companion of the Holy Prophet, told the Makkan idolaters that the Romans would gain victory over the Persians in a few years. Ubayy Ibn Khalaf accused him of making a false claim. It was decided that a specific period be fixed for the confirmation of this prediction. Both of them offered ten camels to be given to the winner and a period of three years was fixed. Abu Bakr told the Holy Prophet of this and the Holy Prophet said that the prediction contained the word bid’a (a few) which signifies a period from three years to nine years, and suggested that he should increase the number of years by adding to the number of camels. Abu Bakr went to Ubayy and it was decided that a hundred camels would be given by each of them and the period of nine years was fixed.

Ubayy died when he was returning from the battle of Uhud in 3 AH. Exactly seven years after this event the Byzantines gained a great victory over Persia, as was predicted by the Holy Qur’an. Abu Bakr, having won his wager, received hundred camels from Ubayy’s heirs. The Holy Prophet said that the camels received by him should be given away in charity.

These are just a few of many such predictions in the Holy Qur’an all of which have been fulfilled precisely as foretold

The fourth miraculous quality of the Qur’an lies in its description of past events. The Holy Prophet was unlettered and did not know how to read or write. He had no teachers nor did he ever keep company with scholars. On the contrary, he was brought up among illiterate idol worshippers, devoid of any knowledge of the scriptures. The Holy Prophet remained among these people throughout his life, except for two trading journeys to Syria which were too short to admit any possibility of his having acquired knowledge from anyone there.

There are many past events that the Holy Qur’an describes differently from other sources. This difference is deliberate and intentional, as can be seen in the Qur’anic reference to the ‘crucifixion’. The Holy Qur’an avoids details that were to be proved untrue in the accounts of previous books, such as the Pentateuch and the Gospels. Our claim is supported by the following Qur’anic verse:
Verily this Qur’an does explain to the Children of Israel most of the things about which they disagree. (Qur'an 27:76)

The Fifth Divine Quality of the Qur’an

One of the miraculous qualities of the Qur’an is that it unveiled and disclosed all the ill intentions of the hypocrites of Madina. They used to conspire against Islam and the Muslims in their secret meetings.
All their decisions and secret plans were made known to the Holy Prophet through divine revelation. He used to inform the Muslims of the intentions of the hypocrites. All such expositions of the Holy Prophet were found to be true.

Similarly the Holy Qur’an exposed the ill intentions of the con- temporary Jews.

Example: Bani Al-Mustaliq (Muraisi‘) Ghazwah, Sha‘ban 6 Hijri

Though militarily it did not assume its full dimension, this Ghazwah had certain implications that brought about a state of turbulence within the Islamic State, and resulted in disgracefulness to clothe in the hypocrites. Moreover, it entailed enactment of consolidating legislations that attached an impression of nobility, dignity and purity of souls to the Islamic community.

News reached the Prophet [pbuh] on Sha‘ban 2nd. to the effect that the chief of Bani Al-Mustaliq, Al-Harith bin Dirar had mobilised his men, along with some Arabs, to attack Madinah. Buraidah bin Al-Haseeb Al-Aslami was immediately despatched to verify the reports. He had some words with Abi Dirar, who confirmed his intention of war. He later sent a reconnoiterer to explore the positions of the Muslims but he was captured and killed. The Prophet [pbuh] summoned his men and ordered them to prepare for war. Before leaving, Zaid bin Haritha was mandated to see to the affairs of Madinah and dispose them. On hearing the advent of the Muslims, the disbelievers got frightened and the Arabs going with them defected and ran away to their lives. Abu Bakr was entrusted with the banner of the Emigrants, and that of the Helpers went to Sa‘d bin ‘Ubada. The two armies were stationed at a well called Muraisi. Arrow shooting went on for an hour, and then the Muslims rushed and engaged with the enemy in a battle that ended in full victory for the Muslims. Some men were killed, women and children of the disbelievers taken as captives, and a lot of booty fell to the lot of the Muslims. Only one Muslim was killed by mistake by a Helper. Amongst the captives was Juwairiyah, daughter of Al-Harith, chief of the disbelievers. The Prophet [pbuh] married her and, in compensation, the Muslims had to manumit a hundred others of the enemy prisoners who embraced Islam, and were then called the Prophet’s in-laws. [Za'd Al-Ma'ad 2/112,113; Ibn Hisham 2/289,290,294,295]

The Treacherous Role of the Hypocrites prior to the Bani Al-Mustaliq Ghazwah

‘Abdullah bin Ubai, a terrible hypocrite was full of rancour against Islam and the Muslims because he believed that the Prophet [pbuh] had dispossessed him of his leadership over Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj, two clans already agreed on the Prophethood of Muhammad [pbuh] and his masterhood over them.

‘Abdullah’s rancour had appeared before he feigned Islam. Following the battle of Badr, he made pretensions of being a Muslim, but deep at heart, he remained that terrible enemy of Allah, His Messenger; and all the believers, in general. His sole target had always been to sow the seeds of dissension in the Muslim community, and undermine the cause of the new heavenly religion it has. His treacherous behaviour could be witnessed everywhere but was strikingly evident in his wicked attempts at creating a state of confusion and disorder amongst the Muslims at Uhud Battle. His hypocrisy and deceit assumed serious and ugly dimensions when he used to stand up among the Muslims shortly before the Prophet’s Friday speech, and mockingly say to them: "This is the Messenger of Allah, who has honoured you with Allah, so you have got to support, obey and listen to him," and then he would sit down.

He did the same following Uhud Battle on Friday. He was so rude and presumptuous that his words smacked unmistakingly of deeply-rooted rancour, so that some of the Muslims took him by his cloak reproachingly and silenced him. He immediately left, uttering rude and mocking words. A Helper met him at the Mosque gate and ordered him to return and beg the Messenger for Allah’s forgiveness, but he retorted that he had never wanted him to ask for that.[Ibn Hisham 2/105] He, moreover, conducted clandestine contacts with Bani Nadir, another tribe of Jews, encouraging them to make alliance with him and promising support for them; all of this in his ceaseless efforts in a long process of conspiracy and intrigue hatched against the Muslims. Allah’s Words as regards his treacherous acts and awe-inspiring attempts during the Trench Battle came to testify quite clearly to this mode of hypocrisy:

"And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease (of doubts) said: ‘Allah and His Messenger ([pbuh]) promised us nothing but delusions!" [Al-Qur'an 33:12]

The verses go on in the same context to describe the hypocrite as a coward and a defeatist. He is a liar and has no regard for pledges solemnly made. He is treacherous, disloyal and perfidious. He is niggardly and greedy. In short, he is the complete antithesis of a true believer:

"They think that Al-Ahzab (the Confederates) have not yet withdrawn, and if Al-Ahzab (the Confederates) should come (again), they would wish they were in the deserts (wandering) among the bedouins, seeking news about you (from a far place); and if they (happen) to be among you, they would not fight but little." [Al-Qur'an 33:20]

All enemies of Islam from the Jews, hypocrites and polytheists did acknowledge that Islam had the upper hand not because of material superiority, multitudes of troops or much equipment; but it was rather due to the noble values, refined ethics and high attributes that imbued the Muslim community and whoever was attached to it. The enemies of Islam were already aware of that flood of light derived wholly from the person of the Prophet [pbuh] , who always stood as an excellent exemplar for men to copy and follow.

The enemies of Islam, after steering the course of futile warfare against the new religion for five years, came to realize fully that exterminating Islam is not accessible in the battlefields, so they resorted to other tactics. They, being reputed gossip-mongers, decided to launch a widespread propaganda campaign aiming at slandering the person of the Prophet [pbuh] in a most sensitive area of the Arabian life, namely ethics and traditions. Following the battle of the Confederates, the Prophet [pbuh] married Zainab bint Jahsh after her marriage with Zaid bin Haritha, his adopted son, had broken up. They seized this opportunity and began to circulate idle talk against the Prophet [pbuh] in Arabia depending on a tradition among the desert Arabs that prohibits contracting a marriage with an adopted son’s divorcee. They alleged that his marriage would be considered a heinous sin. They also based their malicious propaganda on the fact that Zainab was his fifth wife whereas the number was strictly limited to a maximum of four in the Noble Qur’�n, hence the validity of this marriage was in doubt, according to them.

These rumours and gossips had a negative impact on the morale of some weak-hearted Muslims until the decisive verses were revealed acquitting the Prophet [pbuh] and invalidating all those ill designs and obnoxious schemes:

"O Prophet (Muhammad [pbuh])! Keep your duty to Allah, and obey not the disbelievers and the hypocrites (i.e. do not follow their advices). Verily! Allah is Ever All-Knower, All-Wise." [Al-Qur'an 33:1]

The wicked Role they played in the course of the Ghazwah of Bani Al-Mustaliq

During this Ghazwah, the hypocrites almost managed to create a sort of discord among the Muslims themselves, coupled with a serious and ugly slander against the Prophet [pbuh] himself. In short, their behaviour was an authentic translation of Allah’s Words:

"Had they marched out with you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder, and they would have hurried about in your midst (spreading corruption) and sowing sedition among you …" [Al-Qur'an 9:47]

A quarrel was about to break out between the Emigrants and the Helpers on account of plots and evil intentions designed by the hypocrites. The Prophet [pbuh] told them off describing their misbehaviour as something smacking of pre-Islamic practices. They, hypocrites with ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ubai at their head, were furious for the challenge which the Muslims showed towards the hostile plans and vicious intrigues woven behind closed doors, and swore "the most honourable will expel the meanest out of Madinah," and added: "They (the Muslims) have outnumbered and shared us our land. If you fatten your dog, it will eat you." When that talk was reported to the Prophet [pbuh], ‘Umar, a venerable Companion, asked for permission to have Ibn ‘Ubai killed. The Prophet [pbuh] naturally turned down his proposal on the grounds that it did not become of a Prophet [pbuh] to be accused of killing his people. He, on the contrary in an unexpected move, asked ‘Umar to announce departure. He marched with his men for two days until the sun grew too hot. They stopped and fell asleep, a clever attempt at diverting his people’s attention from the previous event. ‘Abdullah’s son heard of that vile of his father and as the party reached Madinah, he drew his sword and barred his father’s entry into the town until he had confessed and declared that he himself was the meanest of the citizens of Madinah and the Prophet [pbuh] the most honourable of them. Thus the boast recoiled on his head. It was also reported that the son was ready to kill his father if the Prophet [pbuh] had wanted him to.

The Slander Affair

This extremely painful incident took place on the Prophet’s return from the expedition against Bani Mustaliq. The Muslim army had to halt for a night at a place, a short distance from Madinah. In this expedition, the Prophet [pbuh] was accompanied by his noble and talented wife, ‘Aishah [R]. As it so happened, ‘Aishah [R] went out some distance from the camp to attend to the call of nature. When she returned, she discovered that she had dropped her necklace somewhere. The necklace itself was of no great value, but as it was a loan from a friend, ‘Aishah [R] went out again to search for it. On her return, to her great grief and mortification, the army had already marched away with the camel she was riding, her attendants thinking that she was in the litter as she was then thin, very young and light of weight. In her helplessness she sat down and cried till sleep overpowered her. Safwan bin Mu‘attal, an Emigrant, who was coming in the rear recognized her as he had seen her before the verse enjoining the veil was revealed, and brought her on his camel to Madinah without saying a single word to her, himself walking behind the animal. The hypocrites of Madinah led by ‘Abdullah bin ‘Ubai bin Salul, sought to make capital out of this incident and spread a malicious scandal against ‘Aishah [R] and unfortunately some of the Muslims also became involved in it. On arrival in Madinah, the Prophet [pbuh] held counsel with his Companions, who pronounced different opinions ranging from divorce to retention. The incident almost roused a fight between two rival factions, Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj, but the Prophet’s intervention silenced both parties on the sport. ‘Aishah [R], unaware of the rumours being circulated, fell ill and was confined to bed for a month. On recovering, she heard of the slander and took permission to go and see her parents seeking authentic news. She then burst into tears and stayed for two days and one sleepless night ceaselessly weeping to such an extent that she felt her liver was about to rip open. The Prophet [pbuh] visited her in that situation, and after testifying to the Oneness of Allah he told her, "If you are innocent, Allah will acquit you, otherwise, you have to beg for His forgiveness and pardon." She stopped weeping and asked her parents to speak for her, but they had nothing to say, so she herself took the initiative and said "Should I tell you I am innocent, and Allah knows that I am surely innocent, you will not believe me; and if I were to admit something of which, Allah knows, I am innocent, you will believe me, then I will have nothing to make recourse to except the words of the father of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph):

فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ ۖ وَاللَّهُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَىٰ مَا تَصِفُونَ
"So (for me) patience is most fitting. And it is Allah (Alone) Whose Help can be sought against that which you assert." [Al-Qur'an 12:18]

She then turned away and lay down for some rest. At that decisive moment the Revelation came acquitting ‘Aishah [R] of all the slanderous talk fabricated in this concern. ‘Aishah [R], of course, was wholeheartedly joyful and praised Allah thankfully. Allah’s Words in this regard went as follows:

"Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against ‘Aishah [R] — the wife of the Prophet [pbuh]) are a group among you." [Al-Qur'an 24:11]

As for the man who took the principal part, ‘Abdullah bin Ubai, he was not flogged, either because the corporal punishment commutes the chastisement in store for him in the Hereafter, and he does not deserve this merit, or for the same public interest for which he was not killed previously. He, moreover, became the butt of reproach and humiliation amongst his people after his real intentions had been unequivocally exposed to all the public. [Sahih Al-Bukhari 1/364,2/696-698; Za'd Al-Ma'ad 2/113-115; Ibn Hisham 2/297-307]

Almost a month later, the Messenger of Allah and ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab were engaged in the following talk: "Don’t you see ‘Umar if I had had him (Abdullah bin Ubai) killed, a large number of dignitaries would have furiously hastened to fight for him. Now, on the contrary, if I ask them to kill him, they will do so out of their own free will." ‘Umar replied "I swear by Allah that the Prophet’s judgement is much more sound than mine." [Ibn Hisham 2/293]